New Details Surface in Aquaman NYCC Trailer

Warner Bros. has opened the floodgates on information about James Wan’s Aquaman thanks to a five-minute extended trailer, shown at New York Comic Con. While the clip rehashes some of the content of the film’s first trailer, it does offer some additional context to what we’ve already seen.

Again, we are treated to an exposition on Arthur Curry’s birth as the son of a human and an Atlantian, though this time we skip over Arthur’s youth and go straight to his heroic endeavours. Just under the minute mark of the trailer, we get to see Arther (Jason Momoa) and Mera (Amber Heard) trekking through the desert in search of an ancient Atlantean mystery. It’s a scene that really juxtaposes what has come before in the DCEU, with blue skies and golden sand replacing the dark palette we’ve seen in previous movies.

The scene also brings a bit of humour to proceedings, though in doing so it won’t help improve public opinion of the titular character. Arthur is played as a bit of a goof, with an exasperated Mera looking just as much a babysitter as anything else. Thankfully we do get to see some of her hydrokinetic powers at play, so at least one of the pair comes out in a positive light.

Talking to ComicBook.com about the movie director James Wan said, ”I really think what has been really fun, and I think for moviegoers, not just the fans, is when they see this film, they’re not just seeing a world of DC. They’re literally seeing a world within Aquaman itself. Just within the world of Aquaman, just creating the different kingdoms, like the different world, the machines that drive the world. They transport the animals that live in this underwater world and all that stuff.“

It’s no surprise then that the trailer treats us to a lengthy viewing of Atlantis as it will appear in the movie. As we’ve already seen, there’ll be plenty of luminous colouring on show, setting Atlantis and the surface world apart. Given how the movie will revolve around a war between those above and those below the surface, it’s a nice touch.

Throughout the trailer, we’re also given a much greater look at each of the movie’s main characters. While we’ve already seen Aquaman in Justice League there is a treat for fans at the end of the trailer when we get to see the classic gold and green suit. Conversely, we don’t see much of Mera beyond her wearing her desert explorer’s outfit even though she has appeared in Atlantian garb before.

King Nereus (Dolph Lundgren), Orm (Patrick Wilson) and Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) also get decent spots in the clip, while Ludi Lin’s Murk also get some screen time during the city chase scene. While Wan claims that this trailer barely scratches the surface of the finished product, it does provide us with a good idea of what to expect when Aquaman hits cinemas on December 21st.